


Little Red Riding Hood

by the_hearteater



Category: Purple Hyacinth (Webcomic)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Kieran is of course the wolf :>, Lauren is little red riding hood, Little Red Riding Hood AU, This idea has been sitting around for a while, demanding to be shown to the world, help me, thank you chocolate for gathering my thoughts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-16
Updated: 2020-09-26
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:55:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24755119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_hearteater/pseuds/the_hearteater
Summary: To the eyes of the world, Kieran White is a murdererBut they know not the hands of his is as white as snowA hood of crimson tracks its prints, a loaded barrel in handBut she sees the truth in its blue eyesHe was not at faultThe true culprit is out there, sniffing out its next prey
Comments: 3
Kudos: 44





	1. Encounter

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thechocolatelife](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thechocolatelife/gifts).



> I couldn't get Little Red Riding Hood Lauren out of my mind, so here am I delivering one :>>
> 
> Hope you enjoy the story!

She takes up a handgun and took a few loaded magazines before donning a crimson hood. There was a series of murder happening in the village. All the corpses showed the signs of a wolf out there, hiding in the woods. She’s sick of all this murdering and wondered what the hell is the wolf’s problem.

“Please take care of yourself dear!” her landlady called out. “I will, Mrs Hudson. Don’t worry, I will come back safely.” Lauren tries to reassure her landlady before setting off. Lauren volunteered to hunt down the wolf that is responsible for all these murders. Everyone was relieved when she raised her hand, for they don’t want to sacrifice their lives hunting the wolf down, but yet they wanted it gone.

“Ridiculous,” Lauren thought. “They want the wolf gone, but they don’t want to kill it themselves. Whatever, nothing that I cant handle.” She found herself wishing for more manpower. “It’ll be more efficient in taking down the wolf. Guess I’ll have to make do with what I have now.” She sighed.

On her way to the village gates, a voice called out to her. It was Will, one of the woodchoppers that go out into the forest to chop wood for the village. “Hello there, Lauren.” William greeted. “What is it, Will?” Lauren smiled.

There was something about Will that made him well-liked by all. Maybe it is his stern but caring personality or his virtues. Maybe it was his handsome appearance, he is quite popular among the ladies despite being in a relationship.

“Heard you were going to track the wolf today,” William noted, pointing at the gun in her holster. “Yeah, wanna join the fun?” Lauren said, her tone half-joking half-serious. “I can’t, I’m busy today. But I do want to hand you this.” Will handed his childhood friend a hatchet in a holster. “The holster is for safety reasons, of course. If you ever find yourself in close combat, Aespi could help you out.” William pointed at the hatchet that Lauren is holding.

“Aespi? Will, since when you started naming things? You never name things, unless it’s a pet.” Lauren raised her eyebrows. “Oh shit, I caught Kym’s virus of naming things. Dammit, that woman drives me crazy!” William groaned. “But she IS your girlfriend after all,” Lauren laughed, nudging her friend.

“Alright, I can’t keep you away from your work. I also need to finish up those woodchopping. Do be safe, Lauren. You can never be too cautious.” William said. “I know, I know. I’ll be fine.” Lauren waved goodbye as she headed to the village gates.

The men opened them and she ventured into the woods, the gates closing behind her.

She threaded carefully, not knowing where the wolf could possibly be. She silently searched for the monster plaguing her village, hearing for even the slightest rustle of leaves. Lauren’s palms were sweating, fear rushed through her veins, not knowing when she’ll be the next victim of the wolf. “Where is it?!” Lauren gritted her teeth in annoyance, she wanted to kill the wolf, be done with it and get out of there.

She then heard a faint rustling of leaves. Alert and on guard, she slowly and silently headed towards the noise. Hiding behind the numerous huge tree trunks, she took a peek. It was a lone wolf with a beautiful coat of dark grey, tips of black, a white underside and a hint of dark blue. It suddenly looked at her direction.

Having quick reflexes, she hid, covering her mouth to lower the sound of her breathing. She was scared, no doubt about that. Her heart beat so fast till the point she could hear her heartbeats. She hoped that the wolf couldn’t hear the heaving tumping of her heart or smell her.

The wolf decided to go and investigate. “Crap,” Lauren cursed mentally as she hears the rustling of leaves getting louder and louder. She took out her gun and faced the wolf, shooting the ground as a warning. The wolf growled it’s deep turquoise eyes penetrated staring intensively into her golden ones as if its eyes penetrated her very core.

“You’ll pay for what you’ve done,” Lauren snarled, aiming at the wolf and pressed the trigger twice. The wolf evaded both bullets and charged at her. Lauren continued firing her gun but the wolf managed to knock the gun out of her hands as if it knew what to target. Thanking God for William, she took the hatchet out from the holster and started swinging at the wolf.

The wolf growled at the sudden attack. Lauren held the hatchet with two hands, daring the wolf to come closer. But the wolf did a peculiar thing, it ignored her. Instead, it took the gun with its mouth and ran off with it.

“HEY WHERE YOU THINK YOU’RE GOING WITH MY GUN?” Lauren yelled as she chased after the wolf. She followed it through the forest, across a stream and to a cave. “Huff huff huff, where the hell are we?” Lauren asked, forgetting that wolves can’t talk. The wolf just looked at her silently, before crushing the gun with its teeth.

“MY GUN!” Lauren yelled. The wolf growled warningly at her as she yelled. “It was you who killed those people in the village, right?” Lauren asked. The wolf didn’t answer back. It just stared silently at her, before sighing.

“Wait, did it just sigh?” Lauren asked mentally. To her shock, the wolf in front of her started morphing into a human. “Wha-“ Lauren croaked out, unable to process what was going on in front of her very eyes.

The wolf- erm no, human was a man of mid-20s. His figure was muscular, has midnight blue hair that’s tied up in a bun, piercing turquoise eyes, pale peach and blemish-free skin and cheekbones that are probably sharp enough to cut one’s hand when they slap him. He wore a cream criss-cross shirt, brown trousers, black boots and a wolf skin draped around his back.

“Now that your peashooter is gone, do tell me why are you here to kill me.” The man’s voice was calm, deep and suave. “Excuse me, peashooter? As I recalled it properly, you evaded those bullets! If it was harmless to you, I bet you won't be ducking them.” Lauren sassed.

“And look what happened to her peashooter? Gone, reduced to pieces,” The man smirked. “Now are you going to tell me why are you trying to kill me when I have done you no harm?”

“Hah! You act as if you don’t know what you’ve done. Your hands are dyed red in innocent blood, yet you don’t know?” Lauren demanded. “Innocent blood? Who is innocent? In here, is hunt or be hunted, nothing about innocence. Mind you, I need to eat.” The man rolled his eyes.

“Oh, so you eat them? How come I never see bite marks on them? How come their bodies are not here?” Lauren asked. “What do you mean you don’t see bite marks on them? I do bite them, or else how am I going to eat without biting them? As for their bodies, I bring them home of course. What do you mean you don’t see them here?” he asked.

“Oh really? Then how come I see their bodies in their houses?” Lauren questioned. “Houses? What do you mean houses? Besides pets, animals don’t live in houses, my dear.” The man chided. “You idiot, I'm not talking about animals, I'm talking about humans!” Lauren yelled.

“Don’t yell, I can hear you perfectly fine,” He winced, massaging his temples. “As for humans, I never kill humans. I always kill in the forest. There's plenty of prey here, I don’t need anything else.” The man answered, stretching.

“Liar. You’ve killed them. I saw the marks with my own eyes.” Lauren snarled, refusing to believe her ability. “Look at me, woman. Do I sound like a liar? I don’t lie and I have no need to lie. Right now, you are an uninvited guest in my territory and I can tear you to pieces right now. Just that I choose not to. So I suggest you leave right now, I won't harm you. Just leave and never return again.” The man growled.

“Then if you’re not the one killing the people, then who is?” Lauren asked. “I don’t know and its none of my business. Can you leave now? You’re leaving your smell in my territory and I don’t like it.” He groaned.

Lauren wasn’t happy with this outcome. She was supposed to kill a wolf and then problem solved. How is she going to explain to the rest about this? She can't just say that the wolf turned into a handsome man and said that he didn’t kill the villagers, right? Why they’ll call her a lunatic and lock her away into a madhouse!

She thought hard for a moment, then an idea formed in her head.

“Oh, but it is your business. If I don’t find the killer, the people in the village will continue to believe that you are the killer and they will hunt you down and kill you!” Lauren said. “Well, if the killings go for too long, that’s what they’ll do.” She thought.

* * *

Kieran just wanted a damn walk. That’s all he wanted. But what he gets at the end? A beautiful but sassy lady in a red hood, armed with a gun and a hatchet along with a hunger for his death.

He didn’t want this. He was just quietly minding his own damn business, killing prey when needed and having a comfortable life in the forest. Then along came this infuriating woman to disrupt it all, with her news of people wanting him gone. Seriously, he doesn’t need all these unnecessary problems. If only he didn’t go out for that damned walk in wolf form…

“So you’re telling me unless that killer is gone, I will be hunted to the ends of my life? Even though I did nothing to you humans?” Kieran’s left eye twitched in annoyance. “Yes, you will. Because all the murders look like a wolf kill.” The redhead explained.

“For goodness sake, that’s being prejudice!” he huffed, throwing his hands in the air. “It's not, it's more of common sense,” Lauren remarked. “That’s not common sense, stupid. That’s being unobservant.” Kieran sighed, wishing he could just kill her and be done with it. But it is forbidden to kill humans unless you’re being attacked by them.

“Damn that law…” he muttered. “What was that?” Lauren asked. “ ** Nothing ** . Can’t you just tell your village that I'm, not the one killing them?” Kieran asked, desperate to get out of this situation. “I can try, but I know they won't believe me.” Lauren folded her arms.

Kieran groaned, clearly irritated with whats going on. “There is another way though, would you like to know what is it?” Lauren slowly said. “If it helps to clear my name, then say it.” He heaved. “You and I work together to find the real killer. After apprehending them, everyone, including me, will leave you alone, considering you don’t kill humans.” Lauren said.

Kieran looked at the scarlet-haired lady in shock. “Are you telling me I have to help you?” Kieran asked slowly, not wanting to believe what he just heard. Lauren nodded. “That is ridiculous! How are you so sure that I won't kill you?” Kieran asked, his sharp teeth gleaming.

“If you kill me, the people in the village will hunt you down, like what I just said. It won't change your fate. Unless you help me and you let me leave here unscathed, they will leave you alone.” Lauren said. Kieran thought for a while, before sighing in acceptance.

“So, do you accept?” “What other choice do I have, darling?” Kieran looked at the gorgeous woman in front of him. He can't deny that she is beautiful, but she is as beautiful as she is irritating. “Great, we have a deal.” Kieran took out a knife.

In alarm, Lauren raised the hatchet to defend herself in case she’s attacked. “What are you so surprised for?” he asked as he made a shallow wound in his hand, blood dripping. “Now it’s your turn.” He handed the knife to her and watched her cut her hand too. Then they shook hands.

“Nice to meet you, my name is Kieran White.”

“Lauren Sinclair.”


	2. Preparation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She lies, but they don't know.  
> She prepares for the journey ahead.  
> Something was left behind  
> He chases after an attainable(?) goal without realizing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS TOOK SO LONG WTF  
> THREE DAYS, ONLY WITH THIS AS RESULT????  
> Im a failure i know.

She returned to the village. The sight of her unharmed makes the villages suspicious. “What happened to the wolf, Lauren?” one of the villagers asked. “ ** It escaped. I lost the wolf ** .” Lauren lied. “Did you see it’s appearance? If so, how did it look like?” they asked.

“It has greyish fur and its height is about 80 cm,” Lauren said. “I  ** couldn’t take a good look its face ** .” “Really? Well, such a pity then. At least we know how it looks like, thanks to Miss Sinclair’s scouting.” Another villager said.

“If Kieran is not the killer, then who is?” Lauren mentally asked. “Could it be one of the people in the neighbouring village? Oh God, could it be one of us in this village?!”

“Everyone, tomorrow I will go to Ordon Village to check if they have any deaths, alright? That way, we can determine if the  ** wolf ** is targetting our village only or other villages too. With that information, I will be able to determine where  ** the wolf is closer to ** . I’m sure that’s reasonable, right?” Lauren asked.

The villagers thought for a bit, then they nodded. They didn’t want to mess with the daughter of a hunter, especially one that had undergone gun training. “Very well, Mr Sake will lend you his best horse,” the Mayor looked at the said man and smiled. “Won’t you, Mr Tim Sake?”

Tim smiled, but the smiled made Lauren felt uneasy. He looked like he knew something the rest of this village doesn’t. “Thank you very much, Mr Sake.” Lauren politely thanked the farmer. “No worries. I’ll be glad to hear when the wolf is slain.” Tim smiled.

“Alright, I’ll depart the day after tomorrow, at 8 o'clock. I need to get ready for the journey, need to stock up and all that.” Lauren informed. The man merely nodded.

“Now for the police headquarters,” Lauren muttered to no one in particular. “Need to get some information on the victims. Hopefully, we get a lead on that.”

“Ah, good afternoon Miss Sinclair! How was your hunt?” a policeman going by the name of Simon cheerfully asked. “Not great.  ** I don’t know where it went ** . But other than that, I need to see the autopsy report of the victims, please.” Lauren grunted. “Why? It’s just a wolf. Animals don’t know and don’t care about what type of people they kill.” Simon scoffed.

“Just hand it over, Mr Simon. I don’t want to be annoyed today. I could not spot my target today and I'm irritated as hell because of that. Please give me the files and I’ll be on my way.” Lauren gritted her teeth as she forced herself to smile.

Scared of Lauren exploding into a storm of fury, Officer Simon hurried to get the files. Lauren may not be a member of the police force in her village, but having the reputation of the daughter of a respected hunter has its perks.

“Here are the files for the victims.” Simon handed her the copies of the files. Satisfied, Lauren thanked Simon and left the police station. She headed back to her cottage and set a board up before studying the files of the unfortunate victims.

Lauren studied the files until the sunset. Yawning, she decided to take a break and make a list on what to prepare. “Thank goodness that stupid wolf didn’t destroy my favourite gun,” Lauren grumbled. “Or else I might go bonkers.”

As she was planning, a sudden whale song boomed from the depths of her stomach. “Dammit… Time to eat something…” Lauren groaned as she prepared baked beans and eggs. “Bacon would be great too… Too bad I didn’t buy any yesterday.” She sighed.

Darkness covered the sky like a blanket as Lauren ate her food in silence. She always loved this silence, but on some days she finds herself yearning for a companion. Tonight is one of those days. The lonely silence lurked in all the corners of her little comfortable cottage.

“I should really buy up this house from Mrs Hudson…” Lauren thought. “And then I can get a cat as a companion. That’s a nice thought.” The redhead smiled to herself But deep in her heart, she knows that there’s more to that. She knows she wants a roommate or something, not just an animal companion. Lauren sighs as she wiped away those thoughts and continue eating her dinner.

* * *

There was another death in the village. This time it was Little Harvey, the grandson of Granpa Wood. Lauren’s eyes widened upon receiving the news. She wore her signature blood-red hood and hurried to the scene. There was a strong heavy scent of blood when Lauren arrived at the Wood’s house. Lauren noticed something different when she saw the corpse.

Harvey was bitten, unlike the rest which wasn’t. A huge chunk of flesh was ripped out from his abdomen. She could see that his intestines and stomach were missing. His frail body was mutilated by the killer. There were bloody footprints everywhere. Lauren spotted a smattering of fur at the dark corner of one of the room.

She snuck under the police tape and looked around, checking if there’s anyone nearby watching her. With no one watching her, she quickly picked the fur and placed them into an evidence bag that she got from a friend in the police station after telling them that she’s going to do her own investigation, taking photos and so on.

She looked around for more fur in the other rooms. After her little investigation, she took up a haversack and packed the files, notes and the board into the bag. She looked around and searched for the necessities like food, a change of clothes and water into her bag.

She walked over to the weapon compartment, which is the false back of her wardrobe. Lauren took out a hunting rifle and enough ammo to kill 2 elephants. She placed the false back to its original place and walked over to her food pantry and took out her favourite pistol from a secret compartment. “I need to go as soon as possible.” Lauren feared that another villager will become a target.

“Now to go over to Sake’s farm.” Lauren heaved her heavy haversack and walked. “I should’ve asked Will to lend Sarah to me, my shoulders might crack due to the stupid weight of this darn bag,” Lauren groaned as she hauled the bag up a hill. “WHY DOES SAKE LIVE SO FAR?!?!”

Like a lifesaver thrown to a drowning person, Lauren’s cries of distress were heard by Ephemery. “Need some help over there?” the blonde asked. “Please.” Lauren sighed as Ephemery loaded the haversack onto her donkey. “Whoa! What do you have in your bag? A stone, or perhaps… A body?” she asked.“No! I’m not carrying a body!” Lauren looked at Ephemery, horrified.

Ephemery has always been fascinated with corpses and the human body, making her a perfect candidate for the forensic team in the police force. But she didn’t want to be involved with any police work, she instead wants to be a doctor. She often helps her family in farm work though and since she had experience in helping with bloody work like calf-giving, she doesn’t faze at the sight of blood. Ephemery can be found writing stories in her free time.

“Thank you for helping, Eph. By the way, how is Soph doing?” Lauren asked Ephemery. “Oh, sis is doing well. Still can't stand the blood, shame. We’re stuck in the killing of Anslow.” Ephemery answered, disappointed. Sophime, Ephemery’s sister, cannot handle the sight of gore, despite borning into a farmer’s family. She finds pleasure in drawing, and Ephemery took that advantage and told her sister to collaborate together to make a story. Unfortunately for Sophime, the story involves blood, and both parties are stuck in an impasse.

“I see. Oh please drop me off at Sake’s. He’s lending me Epona for the journey to Ordon Village.” Lauren said. “Okay, no problem!” Ephemery said. The pair talked about various topics on the way to Lauren’s destination. When they finally arrived at the farm, Lauren thanked Ephemery and knocked on the farmer’s door.

When Tim arrived at the door, he brought a strong scent of blood with him. “Urk! Why do you reek of blood, Sake?” Lauren’s stomach lurched. “Oh, my apologies. One of my pigs had trouble birthing. I had to call Alban to help out.” Tim explained. “I see. Well, I am sorry for the inconvenience but I decided to depart for Ordon today. After what happened to Little Harvey, I cannot delay any longer.” Lauren apologized.

“I understand. Follow me, the stables is this way.” Tim lead Lauren. They walked past the animal pens and the chicken coop. “Here is the beautiful lass. Calm down Epona, you have an important task today.” Tim tried his best to calm the silver bay draft horse. Epona never seemed to like the farmer, kicking Tim whenever the chance came up.

“She acts like she doesn’t like you, Sake.” Lauren looked at the man. “But she’s the fastest horse and the one with the most stamina. Such a pity she has a horrible temper.” Tim grumbled. “I don’t think she has a horrible temper,” Lauren stroked the velvety brown head of Epona. “She just doesn’t like you I guess.”

Tim ignored Lauren’s comment, taking out the saddle and reins. “Hand me that, Sake. You might get kicked by Epona.” Lauren said. “No, she’s my horse. I can do it on my own.” Tim unlocked the stable door of Epona and started to fasten the bridle, reins and saddle. Surprisingly, Epona did not kick Tim.

“Thank you, Sake. I must take my leave now.” Lauren said before mounting Epona and rode off. She rode into the forest, stopping by at Kieran’s lair. The sound of Epona’s neighs stirred Kieran from his sleep. He was sleeping in his wolf form, turquoise eyes gleamed like the precious gems.

“You’re back…” he yawned, showing his fangs. Epona neighed in alarm when Kieran’s wolf form emerged from the cave. “Could you change back, White? Your wolf form is scarring Epona.” Lauren asked. “I need to wait until I’m fully awake, huntress. I just woke up,” Kieran let out another yawn. “Do you want anything? I’m getting food.”

Lauren refused, but the growling of her stomach said otherwise. “Oh, I skipped lunch.” Lauren realized. “I’ll get something.” Kieran went back to his cave, followed by Lauren with her haversack. Kieran used his snout to push a box. “There’s some fruit inside the box. Feel free to eat some, huntress.” Kieran gestured to the box.

“I thought you only eat meat?” Lauren questioned. “I never said that. Just because I could change into a wolf, doesn’t mean I can only eat meat. My body is different from both humans and wolves. My stomach sometimes switches from human to wolf, so I need to be prepared when that happens.” Kieran recovered one of the rabbit corpses that he killed the other day and started eating it.

“Thank you,” Lauren said as she sat down on the floor and munched on an apple. “I assume that you’re here because you have something related to the murders, right?” Kieran asked as he crunched a bone. “Yes, I do. I have some information on the victims. I also found some fur at the crime scene.” Lauren took out the bag and showed it to Kieran.

“Take it out. The scent could be useful in tracking down the culprit.” Kieran finished his meal as Lauren poured the contents out. Kieran sniffed it and had a puzzled look on his wolf face. “This is peculiar…” Kieran muttered. “What is peculiar?” Lauren asked. “This smells like a wolf… but there’s not only it, there’s also something to it… But I can’t place my finger on it.” Kieran replied.

“You meant paw, don’t you?” Lauren joked as she placed the fur back into the bag. “Oh come on, it's just a figure of speech!” Kieran groaned. “Can't help it, sorry not sorry.” Lauren chuckled. “Whatever, you're being annoying.” Kieran stretched before shaking his wolf body.

“I feel better now!” Kieran sighed happily, having food in his stomach. He transformed back into his human body before tossing his wolf skin onto a chair next to where Lauren was sitting. “Let’s see those files, shall we?” Kieran suggested. “Yeah, we should.” Lauren took out the files and the board.

“That is quite the amount of digging, my dear Artemis,” Kieran noted at the scale of research that Lauren did. “Of course, Canis Major,” Lauren replied. “Oi, I'm no hunting dog!” Kieran retorted. “Oh but you are a canine, right?” Lauren smirked. “I may be a wolf, but I’m not a dog.” He replied.

“Fair enough, let us get to work.” Lauren handed her friend (?) the files of the victims and started going through the details. While she was talking, Kieran let out a sharp gasp, interrupting Lauren’s explanation. “What is it?” the auburn-haired lady asked.

“I’ve seen every one of them before…” Kieran replied, pointing at the photos of the victims. “You- What?!” Lauren exclaimed. “I’ve seen them before, I can guarantee that. I’ve seen them all in the woods at night, cold and lost.”

“I guided them to the village gates. I could tell they are scared of me, for I was in my wolf form. They were gone when dawn arrives.” Kieran explained. “If you know that they were scared of your wolf form, then why did you still remain in it?” Lauren asked.

“If I transformed, I wouldn’t be able to see in the dark. There’s hardly enough moonlight to see every time I found them. If there was enough light, I won't be involved in the first place.” Kieran rolled his eyes.

“Ah, that’s right. I’ve completely forgotten about that,” Lauren said. “So, they were all killed. Oh yeah, not to mention, the latest murder happened last night. And this time, there's a huge chunk of flesh missing from the abdomen area. It looks like a series of bites.” Lauren passed the picture to Kieran.

“Those are wolf bites alright. I can see the marks a wolf makes. The wolf is most likely a male, by the size of the bite marks. A female will have smaller bite marks. See here?” Kieran pointed the marks to the huntress. “There are probably two to four bites. This will take about three or five bites for a female.”

Lauren nodded her head, jotting notes in her mind. They continued discussing the potential similarities between the victims besides being lost in the woods. “Kieran, is there another wolf in these woods?” Lauren asked.

Kieran shook his head. “Before I settled here, I surveyed the area for potential threats and competition. I didn’t find anything else except for prey.” “Darn, where could this pesky wolf be hiding?” Lauren groaned as she checked the time.

“Shit, I need to leave now. I’m heading for Ordon Village. I’m going to check if there are any murders there.” Lauren got up and cracked her knuckles. “Do you mind leaving a strand of the fur with me? I’ll try to figure out the missing thing.” Kieran said.

“No problem. I’ll leave you some files too.” Lauren tidied the files and left them on the table. “I’ll keep in touch. A note of warning, I might come at unexpected times.” Lauren warned. “My my, how scandalous,” Kieran smirked. Lauren rolled her eyes and sighed as she mounted Epona.

The crimson hair wavered with the wind as Lauren urged Epona to gallop faster. Kieran watched the figure disappear into the forest. When it dissolved with the scenery, Kieran went back to his lair and spotted the black haversack sitting happily on his chair, reminding him of her previous presence.

“Shit.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait! There isnt much to show tho
> 
> I might have to change frm 5 prts max to 7 i guess... Idk
> 
> Thank you for reading!
> 
> Comments and Kudos are greatly appreciated :>>


	3. Attacked

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When the sun sets, the night creeps from her hidey hole; taking the sun's place
> 
> Lauren and Kieran meet up again, planning their next move.
> 
> When they take a break, an arrow pierce the night; aiming towards the pair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NO BETA READ cuz why not? welp  
> (mainly is because no one wants to beta-read this :""<)
> 
> This took too long sorry guys, i got side tracked by some other stuff (new ideas for PH LOL)
> 
> There's a bit of OOC in this Chapter sorry :""<

When Lauren realized she left her haversack at Kieran’s lair, she was already inside Ordon Village. “Darn it!” she cursed. “What is it?” Link, a shepherd boy asked. “I have forgotten to bring my bag with me! Ardhalis Village is so far away, it’ll take me ages to go back…” Lauren muttered.

“Well, I think you could stay the night at my house. I have a guestroom!” Link offered cheerfully. “No, it's ok. I can spend the night in one of the inns here.” Lauren shook her head. “Okay, if you say so.” Link smiled. “Anyway, what are you here for, Miss Lauren?”

“I need to know if there are any murders here in Ordon because there’s are cases in Ardhalis that believed to be attacked by a wolf,” Lauren explained. “Ah, I see. There aren't any murders here, everyone in Ordon are peace-loving people. And about wolf attacks, I don't think they attack people.” Link asked.

“Hmm, you don’t know about the wolf in the forest?” Lauren tested Link. Everyone she asked in Ordon Village mentioned about Kieran’s presence in the woods. “I don’t think so. After all, I did talk to him. He seems to be a very nice guy.” Link realized what he was saying and quickly closed his mouth. “Wait, you know Kieran?” Lauren asked. Link nodded slowly.

“Alright, thank you Link. Now I need to find an inn to stay for the night. When dawn comes, I got to go back.” Lauren started to head back. “See you tomorrow!” Link said before heading back into his house. On the way, Lauren saw a familiar midnight blue hair talking to a villager.

Kieran.

Kieran noticed Lauren at the corner of his eye. He thanked Rusl before making his way over to the crimson-haired lady. “You’ve seemed to left something at my lair, fair maiden.” Kieran held up the haversack. “I know. That won't happen again, fret not.” Lauren took the haversack.

“You’re staying here overnight?” Kieran asked. “Why do you ask? Perhaps you want to know my location so you can kill me?” Lauren scoffed. “How sad, you take my attempt in a conversation as a threat.” Kieran faked hurt. Lauren ignored him and headed out to search for an inn to stay.

“Why don’t you go back to Ardhalis?” Kieran followed her. “If I go now, I will be riding at night. You know what they say, the wolf comes out at night.” Lauren elbowed Kieran. “Haha, really funny. You know I can’t kill nor harm people unless they harm me, right?” Kieran said.

“Really? I don’t know that. Why?” Lauren asked. “That question will be answered soon. Maybe next time, mon amour.” Kieran winked. “Whatever, keep your secrets,” Lauren rolled her eyes. “You will be heading back to your lair, right? I’ll drop by your place tomorrow to discuss more.”

“No problem, I seldom get visitors anyway,” Kieran walked with Lauren to an inn. “See ya tomorrow.” And they parted ways. Lauren paid the fee for one night and the innkeeper showed her room for the night. Now having a change of clothes, she took a refreshing shower.

After getting into a cleaner and much more comfortable set of clothes, she pulled out the remaining files and started to make notes with the information that Kieran gave and theories that she came up with. The innkeeper later brought Lauren’s dinner, it was meat stew with bread. Lauren finished the stew within minutes before taking the tray downstairs. Then, she retired to bed.

Dawn eventually took over the dark blanket of night, the sunlight warming the land with its warmth. Lauren was already packed and ready to leave Ordon and head back to Ardhalis. Hopping on Epona, she rode the beautiful mare back to her village. As she passed by Kieran’s cave, an idea sparked in her mind. She pulled the reins and decided to drop by to see if Kieran was in.

The cave was silent and in the middle lied a sleeping wolf, remains of a deer sat beside it. It seems like he is busy, well it won't hurt to write a note, Lauren thought. She tiptoed across the room to a table and found a pen and paper easily. She wrote what she wanted and left the note somewhere obvious so that Kieran will read it when he wakes.

* * *

  
  


The gates open, letting the red-haired huntress into the village. She rode Epona back to Sake’s farm and let her off. “Thanks for Epona,” Lauren said before disappearing like a ghost. She gets to work, unloading all her stuff from the haversack and placing dirty clothes aside to wash later etc. 

  
  


Night fell and Lauren was prepared. She was covered in black from head to toe. With the night as her ally, she snuck past the guards and managed to pick the lock to open the gates. She did oil the hinges, of course, the sharp creaking of the gates will wake potential witness up to investigate. Lauren ran as fast as the wind, heading towards the wolf’s lair.

“I see you saw my note,” Lauren said as Kieran was standing outside his home. “That is good because I have news. We are going to stay up until dawn arrives.” “No problem, you’re talking to a nocturnal beast,” Kieran replied. “But I’m not sure how you will fare…”

“I am prepared. I took enough coffee to last me days without sleep.” Lauren set her guns aside. She didn’t keep them away, just in case. You can never be too sure after all. “First things first, do you have any idea about that smell?” Lauren asked. Kieran nodded. “It’s a hybrid, but it isn't that simple. There were multiple smells in the fur too, one of them being human and reptile.” Kieran explained.

“Reptile?!” Lauren’s eyes widened to the size of plates. “Almost everyone in the village is farmers! A snake will definitely cause chaos among livestock if it's venomous!” “Exactly.” Kieran continued.

“Good boy, Kieran. As for my discovery, there isn't a killer on the run in Ordon,“ Lauren was shot with a dirty look from Kieran, but she ignored it. “If what you said is true, that means…” 

“You got a bloodthirsty merciless hybrid on the loose in your village, with a venomous serpent as a pet.” Kieran finished her sentence. “That was not what I wanted to phrase it but yes, we got a murderer that is a hybrid that targets children who returned home after getting lost in the woods,” Lauren sighed. “Does that mean I have to investigate everyone in the village?!”

“Calm down Artemis, I don’t think you need to do that. There are some ways to detect hybrids, plus you haven’t listened to what I was going to tell you about those types of hybrids,” Kieran patted Lauren’s shoulder.

“I have to tell you this beforehand: None of these is full-proof, okay?” Lauren nodded. “Alright, the first thing you have is the eyes. You can occasionally see a tinge of colour dancing in their eyes. It could be red, black, green- any colour. Another way to tell is they have a slight wolf smell. Its quite faint if they live with humans, but the longer they are away from humans, the more evident the smell.” Lauren listened quietly

“Hybrids tend to get quite possessive when you take their stuff. If you take their belongings, they mostly will attack you. It’s worse if its something that they love a lot.” He continued. “Is that all?” Lauren asked. “Unfortunately yes. There aren't many ways to spot one unless you catch them transforming.” Kieran replied.

“Like how I saw you transform.” Lauren snorted. “You didn’t catch me, I willingly transformed in front of you.” Kieran corrected. “Nah, I bet you did it is because you didn’t have a choice. I have a hatchet and could totally kill you.”  Lauren replied.

“That puny thing won't even be able to chop my head off.” Kieran snorted. “But it will sure as Hell deal some decent damage to you, right?” Lauren smirked. “ **No, it won’t** ,” Kieren said. “Haha, very funny but you can’t say that you liar,” Lauren replied.

“Moving on,” Kieran went back to the topic. “At times when they are in another form, for example, human form, you can see their eyes turning into either another type of animal’s pupil like reptilian or another colour. It depends on what type of animal their base is. The closer the base animal type is to the morphed, the harder it is to tell the difference. It could be subtle changes or obvious ones.”

Like a scholar, Lauren took notes down, not wanting to miss any piece of information to catch the murderer. As Kieran went on, her hand picked up speed, the neat handwriting not faltering even for a second. She was used to taking quick but tidy notes. She trained herself to do so when her father was teaching her the ways of hunting.

“Is that it?” Lauren asked, looking up. Kieran nodded, peering over her shoulder to look at the list she made. “I guess I’ll have to look out for all these features…” Lauren sighed, thinking about the extra work she needs to do when she goes back to the village.

“Hmmm, how about this: I’ll rent a room in one of the inns, then I can help you speed up the learning progress,” Kieran suggested. “Hmm, as much as I don’t want to say this, but that’s a good idea. You can sniff the hybrid out with your good sense of sme-“

“I hate to break this to you but my sense of smell only works when I'm a wolf. When I'm in human form, my sense of smell is just like Tom, Dick and Harry down the road.” Kieran exhaled as Lauren’s face turned from tired to irritation upon hearing this.

“Why are you telling me this now?” Lauren sighed. “I did tell you, you just didn’t listen,” Kieran said. Lauren let out a yawn, realizing how late it is as she looked at the dark sky. “Urghh… I’m going to set up a fire to brew myself a cup of coffee. Do you want some hot water for your needs?” Lauren asked. Kieran shook his head.

But before she could exit the cave, something within Kieran possessed him to grab hold of Lauren’s wrist. She was definitely not expecting that, for she elbowed Kieran in the gut upon reflex.

“Urk!” 

“Ah, apologies! I didn’t mean to do that on purpose!” Lauren gasped. “Are you alright?” 

Kieran slowly got up, trying to recover from the accidental attack. “It’s okay. I expect nothing less from a hunter’s daughter.” Kieran grinned before it fell into a grim look. “Don’t go out. I sense something out there… And it isn’t good.”

“Stay in here, I'll go investigate,” Kieran transformed into his wolf form before leaving the cave. “If I don’t come back in 5 minutes, go back home.” Lauren’s face turned into a look of annoyance. “Do you think I'm a damsel in distress? I will go with you. Don’t worry about me, I can protect myself.” Lauren said as she turned her guns’ safety off.

Kieran’s face held a look of uncertainty, before nodding as Lauren followed quietly behind him. The cool night air greeted their faces as the moonlight climbed to its zenith. Kieran and Lauren thread cautiously, alert of their surroundings. As bright as the moonbeams were, it wasn’t strong enough to penetrate the thick leafy curtain of the forest. Cursing internally, Kieran sniffed the air for anything peculiar. 

Nothing seems out of the ordinary, Kieran thought. If that’s the case, why do I feel like something bad is going to happen?

They walked for a bit, stopping at the slightest bit of sound. Kieran could feel a change in the air, before hearing an unnatural swoosh. Upon hearing that, his instinct leapt into action. He ran towards Lauren and knocked her down, protecting her from a flying projectile.

Lauren let out an inaudible gasp, before looking at what almost injured her. It was an arrow, dipped in something. “Kieran! Were you hit by that?” Lauren asked, worried for her  friend subordinate. “Yeah, I am alright. Glad to see that my beautiful huntress is worried for me.” Kieran groaned as he gave her a wolfy grin.

“If you got hurt, ill be all the way in square one again.” Lauren rolled her eyes, before getting up and running towards the area where the arrow came from. “Don’t do it, Lauren. They escaped, I heard them run.” Kieran shook his head, a bit dizzy from the impact.

“Shouldn’t we chase them down?” Lauren asked. Kieran shook his head, his fur gleaming in the moonlight. “Why?” Lauren asked angrily. “We’re going to find them anyway. They had the same smell as the fur that you gave me.” Kieran explained. 

“What?!” Lauren was shocked. “All the more to chase them down!” “I object, Lauren. If you are going to pursue them, your efforts will be in vain.” The grey wolf growled. “I’m still going, I want to catch this monster once and for all.”

“Have you not forgotten that they can switch forms too?” Kieran asked. “Wolf or not, I’ll put a bullet through their brain. That will stop the killings once and for all.” Lauren gritted her teeth. “Even if you succeeded in killing them, how are you going to explain that the murderer is gone? You need to give them a wolf, not a human.” Kieran argued.

Those words woke Lauren up from her anger. Kieran was right, the villagers were dead sure that the killings belonged to a wolf. If she were to show them the true murderer was a human, they will never believe her. On the contrary, she will be banished from the village because she killed a human; and thus bring shame to her family’s name.

“Calmed down?” Kieran’s gentle voice floated in the air. Lauren turned back to him, nodding. “Good. Now that I properly look at you, you look worn out. You’ve spent too much late nights up and I'm not letting you pull another one again.” Kieran sighed. 

“So what are you implying?” Lauren huffed, still annoyed by not able to unmask the culprit. “You’re not going back to your house. Spend the night here.” Kieran said.

Those words made Lauren’s brain short-circuited for 5 seconds, before registering what he said. “What?! Are you telling me to stay the night in a den?!” Lauren’s eye twitched at the thought of it. “You take the bed. I’ll sleep on the rug.” Kieran replied as Lauren caught up to his pace.

“Wha-“

“No excuses. I can just sleep in this form, I don’t mind anyway. I’ve done it for so many years, the only difference this time is there is someone with me.” Kieran’s tone hid a layer of unconscious loneliness, not knowing it was there.

Lauren caught it. She looked at the wolf walking by her side, wondering how many years did he live in solitary. She imagined herself in his position, needing to live alone in the wilderness. The thought of it sent a gush of emotion through her.

  
  


“Kieran, do you mind me asking a few personal questions?” Lauren inquired as she lay on the bed. “It depends… I’ll answer as I see fit.” Kieran made himself comfortable on the rug. “Have you always lived like this, alone?” Lauren asked.

A pin-drop silence filled the air, tension dancing with it.

“Ever since I had to leave Mère’s den, yes,” Kieran admitted. “I was always the odd one out of my siblings. I have dark fur and blue eyes instead of beige fur and green eyes. Banishment was inevitable, as I was unfavoured by my family…”

  
  


A sudden warmth enveloped a part of Kieran’s furry body. Kieran immediately looked up and his eyes met Lauren’s golden ones, holding kindness in them. “I’m sorry for what you had to go through…” Lauren whispered. “Its alright, Lauren. You will leave the forest once this is over right? The forest isn’t your home anyway.” Kieran sighed.

  
  
  


“But we’re somewhat friends… aren't we?” Lauren asked. “Friends…?” Kieran’s voice trailed off, unfamiliar with the word. “I suppose we are… though I'm not used to having any…” he smiled as he hugged her back in his wolf form.

  
  


As Hypnos took control of them, they remained in the same position until day spring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and Kudos are greatly appreciated!!! :DDDDDD


	4. Hunt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh fangs of the night!  
> Harm not the innocent little ones,  
> For they had done no wrong.  
> Yet why do thee insists on staining your teeth in their red?
> 
> Make haste, Lady Artemis, make haste!  
> For the hunt is on and your prey is on the move.  
> May your arrow pierce the Stygian night,  
> And bring peace back to this terror-filled land.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Im officially dieded
> 
> I am very tired
> 
> My body says sleep
> 
> But my mind says DO THE DEED
> 
> (i suck at poetry i know)
> 
> Pls enjoy

“You were drooling on my fur, that was most disgusting.” Kieran cringed in disgust. “How many times do I have to say this, I. Am. Sorry!” Lauren groaned. “Now repeat that for about a hundred more times and maybe I’ll forgive you.” Kieran teased, tidying the cave up. Lauren shot him a dirty look. “Don’t get too cocky, Asbolos. I might skin you in your sleep.” Lauren threatened.

But Kieran knew that that was a lie. Without his help, Lauren couldn’t make another move. “So, when are you going to go to the village?” Lauren asked. “Tomorrow. I can’t go today, because of some… personal issues.” Kieran said, not wanting the topic to be pursued further. “Right.” Lauren respected his privacy, not asking any more questions.

“Alright, I’ll be seeing you tomorrow then.” Lauren smiled before packing up and heading back to Ardhalis Village. As the figure of the red-haired lady melted into the shadows of the woods, Kieran’s skin began to prickle. His eyes started to hurt as tears formed in his eyes.

His legs gave way, making him get on all fours. Letting out a painful scream, the edges of his vision eroded away; taking over his sight. The scream was muffled by the trees, cushioning the soundwaves. But despite the muffling, Lauren’s guts told her to go to Kieran’s side. And so she did.

But when she approached Kieran’s lair, her fight or flight instincts activated. Loading her gun just in case, she entered the cave with caution. “Kieran?” she called out.

No reply.

“Kieran? Answer me please!” Lauren said. Her voice resonated in the cave, but there was only silence.

And then she heard it.

“Don’t… come… a…ny clo…ser…” a groan took her attention. In the darkest corner of the cave, she sees a pair of deep blue eyes glowing in the dark. But it wasn’t its usual cerulean shade, instead, it was a shade of arctic blue.

“St…ay…… awa…y…”

Lauren headed his advice, maintaining a good distance between her and the wolf. “What happened, Kieran? What’s wrong with you?” she asked. “D…on’t que…stion… Thi…s is nor…mal…” Kieran’s voice was disrupted between growls.

Then, summoning up all his strength, he forced all his energy on a single word.

“RUN!”

Lauren was not a woman that was easily scared but hearing Kieran’s voice with such ferocity, it made her skin stand in fear. Giving a brief nod to the wolf, she took off, leaving the cave far behind. What was that? She asked herself.

* * *

  
  


As the sun retired to rest, the sky held a conflict of day and night. Lauren had a sinking feeling that something bad is going to happen. It's probably just me being concerned over Kieran, Lauren tried to convince herself; but she knew better, for a skilled hunter learns to trust their gut feelings.

A knock on her door made her whip her head. Who could be up at this time? Everyone should be having dinner by now… Lauren asked herself. She opened the door and found herself face to face with a half-transformed Kieran, twitching and flinching every now and then.

“A… ch…ild… g…oi..ng… mur…der…ed… to…morr…ow…” Kieran gasped out between flinches. “Kieran, you’re clearly NOT fine. Get in, I don’t want people questioning things.” Lauren pulled the poor wolf hybrid inside, locking the door behind her.

“What do you need? Is there anything that I can do to help?” Lauren asked. Kieran nodded, still flinching and twitching. “I..ts h…ot…… All over… Ne…ed wa…ter…” Lauren nodded before getting a glass of water. Pouring a cup of water, she handed the glass to Kieran, which he proceeded to dump it on himself.

“Urk… much better…” Kieran sighed. “So…rry… for…the mess on the floor…” Kieran was still twitching, but it was evidently less than before. “What do you mean about someone is going to die tomorrow?” Lauren asked. “… Second sight…” Kieran muttered.

“Second sight? I didn't know you have second sight,” Lauren said. “A yo…ung child… white hair… Silver… eyes…” Kieran sputtered out. “That’s… That’s Dylan!” Lauren exclaimed. “Don’t… stop… him… I go…t a plan…” Kieran told her. “He won't.. die… Not… thi…s one…”

“But…” Lauren wanted to oppose the fact, but Kieran stood up and placed his finger on her lips, silencing her. “This… this one is fool…proof…” he tried to smile, but his body was unbalanced, so he collapsed on the floor.

“Kieran!” Lauren cried, kneeling down to Kieran’s side. “I’m… fine… Just a bit… dizzy…” Kieran croaked, slowly sitting up. “I… need to… get home…” Kieran groaned as he tried to stand up, but Lauren stopped him.

“You’re in no state to walk all the way back to your cave. I have an extra room, take it. If you need to dump yourself with water, do it in the shower. I’ll give you some clothes, wait here.” Lauren left as Kieran gathered his thoughts on what just happened.

“Damn this stupid cycle…” Kieran cursed. 

Lauren came back after a short while, tossing Kieran some men clothes that she somehow has lying around her home.

“Bathroom’s the second door on the left in the corridor, help yourself.” Lauren pointed for Kieran. He nodded, before leaving a trail of water behind him. Lauren sighed as she took a rag to wipe the puddles leading to the bathroom.

The sounds of water splashing could be heard as she tried to cook dinner with her best culinary abilities. She tried to make something decent, but soon gave up and stuck to bacon and eggs sandwiches. When Kieran came out of the bathroom, his stomach gave out a tiny growl as he sniffed the air.

“Meat…” Kieran muttered as his teeth slowly became fangs, forgetting that he wasn’t in his territory. “No fangs here, young man. You must not risk yourself getting exposed… unless you want a death wish, then go ahead.” Lauren said as she placed a plate of a sandwich that she just made.

Thanking her, Kieran sat down and devoured the meal within seconds. Lauren paid no attention to his lack of table manners. Considering where he grew up, wolves have no table manners after all. “The next time you eat with the presence of other people, warn me beforehand so that I’ll teach you eating etiquettes,” Lauren said.

They talked about the plan over dinner, preparing for tomorrow.

* * *

  
  


Kieran rented a room for the night in Ardhalis Village, a part of the plan.

Lauren’s stomach held snakes the whole day, she was worried if it doesn’t work out. Kieran doesn’t blame her, she does care for the people in the village after all.

Throughout the day, Lauren kept oiling her guns, one of her many unsettling ways to calm down. As the hour passed, she found no peace in her usual ritual, so she opted for the best way – training her marksmanship.

With the courtesy of the forest, she aimed at many targets, and all of them hit their mark, showing how capable her skills are. She brought home a rabbit and some pheasants, all good for eating; cleaned them and stored them for future uses. Those activities took her mind off the plan, but the thoughts soon returned again.

Darkness’ presence fell over Day’s back like a cape, soft and silent. An uncomfortable silence fell on the village as each houses’ lights dimmed one by one like the dying embers of a flame. Lauren checked her guns for the final time before donning on her hood of blood.

Hiding in the shadows, she slowly made her way to Dylan’s house. She waited and waited, she doesn’t know if Kieran was there, but she went with the plan nevertheless.

When the moon was at its zenith, she suddenly felt an intimidating presence slinked by. An unfamiliar low growl emitted from the figure. It wasn’t a wolf shaped figure, but rather more like a werebeast. As it passed by her, it slowly unlocked the door of the house with ease.

Thinking it was the best time to strike, she targeted the head and fired, the safety turned off before she left the house. Howling in pain, it looked behind and found a pair of glowering golden orbs facing it. Infuriated, it chased after her.

She ran to the hills, as far away as possible. She needed to get it to an open space so that it won't harm everyone else. The howl has woken the villagers up but they are probably too slow by the time they get out to join the fight.

Arriving at her destination, she took another aim and shot again, but this time firing 3 bullets. They all hit the beast’s body. The monster staggered, before rushing at Lauren to shred her to bits. Before the attack could reach her, it was interrupted by an ambush from the back.

Fangs as sharp as a newly forged knife, Kieran’s fangs sank deep into the monster’s shoulder. Howling in pain, the monster’s shape morphed into the shape of a man. Having a knife in hand, the man swung it at Kieran. Reflex kicking in, he dodged, before the man lunged at Lauren.

Lauren aimed well and fire, bullets hitting the man’s lower abdomen. Groaning in pain, he kneeled down on one knee. Taking out a flashlight, Lauren shone at the man’s face. Weirdly enough, she wasn’t shocked nor surprised when it turns out to be Tim Sake.

“Little Lauren… Never knew that you will be siding the wolves… eh? Wait till the villagers find out about this!” he chuckled, sending streaks of anger down Lauren’s spine. “Me? Hah! I’m not the one who kills lost children that were wandering lost in the woods and blame it on someone else, you fucktard!” Lauren spat.

“Oh, but even if you told them that it wasn’t you, how are you going to explain this to the villagers, or more importantly, the Mayor?” there was a smug smile on Tim’s face. “I could see the headlines now, ‘Lauren Sinclair, the murderer of Ardhalis’s innocents’, quite a fitting title, don’t you think?”

“You… YOU MONSTER!” Lauren yelled, shooting off a series of bullets, targeting Tim’s barrel-rolling figure.

“Belladonna!” Tim yelled a flash of pink lightning shot out from the sleeves of his shirt. Lauren barely had time to duck the attack. The legless creature landed with a ‘thud’ on the floor, revealing a pink viper with gold markings on its back.

“So this is the little snake that you keep…” Lauren muttered as she stomped on the serpent's with little to no effort, effectively killing it. Tim used this opportunity to transform into a half-wolf form and attack her since he was much stronger in that state.

“WHY DID YOU KILL THEM? THEY DIDN’T DO YOU ANY HARM!” Lauren screamed. Tim laughed maniacally, a grin appeared on his beast face as he answered.

“I find murder thrilling, what's so wrong about that? The way that life just ends with a flick of a finger, don’t you see that interesting? Like the ruler of life, the Lord of Time. ”

As Tim was busy attacking Lauren, he was so focused that he forgot about Kieran. Since Kieran was in one of his ‘cycles’, the blue-eyed wolf was far stronger than usual. Unleashing the wolf within, Kieran went feral.

Knocking Tim over with full force, a thing that Kieran usually cant do to a 170-pound figure (that’s about 77kg), his teeth marks littered all over Tim’s large body. As Kieran leapt off his enemy, Lauren delivered the finishing blow to the monster of a beast, a bullet through the brain.

She shot it multiple times for good measure.

And in spite.

Tim Sake died with a grin on his face.

“Well then, Artemis, time to report the good news, right?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments are motivation bars i swear (they are rlly greatly appreciated)
> 
> MY SPINE JUST GAVE UP ON ME HAHAHAHHAHA


	5. Gain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peace finally returned to Ardhalis Village

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is SUPER SHORT, im so sorry for the whacky content

The large patch of wolf fur was more than enough to convince the villagers that the threat no longer lives. The people of Ardhalis Village can once again sleep peacefully at night without the fear of a pair of fangs at their throat.

Tim Sake was announced missing when Toby the errand boy noticed that the farmer hasn’t collected his mail for the past few days. The obedient little boy reported this matter to the police. News of Tim’s disappearance soon reached the ears of the Mayor.

Everyone took no notice of Tim’s appearance, they hated the bastard anyway.

Some theorized that Tim was the killer, but their ideas were too far fetched to be believed by any sane human. After all, it was a wolf who killed the children, not a human.

Little did they know that their theory was true…

The truth will only be known to two figures, and they will bring that truth to their grave.

The village doesn’t need the complete truth, they won't believe it anyway. What's the use of trying to convince them to believe something that they have been believing for weeks?

On a brighter note, Kieran has gained a friend. He still spends his time in his cave, but occasionally visits his red-haired companion, who eventually introduces him to her other friends.

Both Kieran and Lauren has gained from this encounter.

Who said the only thing gained was peace?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I dont know how to end this......
> 
> I really really sorry!!!
> 
> ,>^<,''  
> ' '

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and Comments are greatly appreciated!  
> :>>>>


End file.
